Lesson plans and assessments contributed by Central Jersey World Languages Professional Development Institute 2000.

Letter to a friend

Title: Letter to a friend

Topic: Expressing thoughts and emotions

Level: Intermediate

Focus Age Group: 16 to 18 years

National Standards Goals:

Communication Cultures Connections Comparisons Communities

Communicative Mode:

Interpersonal Interpretive Presentational

NJ cumulative Progress indicators:

7.1.8 Create and respond to simple phrases, questions, and sentences

7.1.17 Communicate and interact in a limited range of task-oriented and social situations

7.1.18 Respond to statements with increasing linguistic accuracy

Time frame: One 40-minute class period

Description of task:
One of your friends from camp has written you a letter. You have to answer this letter and express your thoughts, feelings and emotions (such as sympathy, sadness, happiness, hope, etc.) in reaction to her statements. Also,tell her what's new in your life since you last communicated.

Materials needed: Letter from friend, paper and pen.

Teacher's notes:
Distribute to each student the letter they are supposed to answer. Students have to write back to friend, responding and reacting accordingly. (Students will express emotions such as sympathy, surprise, happiness, hope, etc.)

Scoring criteria:

Task completion

4

Exceeds expectations;content appropriate; ideas extensively developed and well organized

Does not meet expectations; content mostly appropriate; ideas not fully developed and lacking in organization

1

Minimal attempt to complete task; content not appropriate

Comprehensibility of written expression

4

Text readily comprehensible

3

Text mostly comprehensible

2

Text somewhat comprehensible

1

Text barely comprehensible

Vocabulary usage

4

Appropriate and rich use of vocabulary with elaboration

3

Appropriate use of vocabulary

2

Some inappropriate use of vocabulary

1

Inadequate or inappropriate use of vocabulary

Accuracy

4

Uses variety of structures with high level of accuracy

3

Shows much effort to use language structures with accuracy

2

Shows some effort to use language structures with accuracy

1

Shows minimal or no effort to use language structures with accuracy

Adaptations:
This activity can be adapted to any level, depending on what the teacher wants to elicit from students. It can be given as a homework assignment or as a reading comprehension (listing the problems mentioned in the letter).